Smoke-out on 4/20 marks pot holiday across the U.S.

For some people, the numbers 4/20 and 4:20 are more than just a date on a calendar and the time on a clock. In cannabis subculture it’s a slang term for marijuana and, more specifically, smoking marijuana. In Denver, thousands of revelers gathered to show their enthusiasm with a giant smoke-out at 4:20 p.m. on Sunday, 4/20, 2014, the first open celebration since the drug was legalized there in January 2014. Similar events were held in Trenton, N.J., San Francisco, Calif., and Washington – the only other state to legalize marijuana.

With the Colorado state capitol building visible in the background, partygoers dance and smoke pot on the first of two days at the annual 4/20 marijuana festival in Denver, Saturday April 19, 2014. The annual event is the first 420 marijuana celebration since retail marijuana stores began selling in January 2014. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)

Hip hop musician B.o.B. tosses joints into the crown while playing a set for partygoers on the second of two days at the annual 4/20 marijuana festival in Denver, Sunday April 20, 2014. The annual event is the first 420 marijuana celebration since retail marijuana stores began selling in January 2014. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)

A woman smokes a joint at the Fill the Hill marijuana rally on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Sunday, April 20, 2014. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Justin Tang)

A partygoer raises a bong aloft while listening to live music on the second of two days at the annual 4/20 marijuana festival in Denver, Sunday April 20, 2014. The annual event is the first 420 marijuana celebration since retail marijuana stores began selling in January 2014. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)

A pro-marijuana activist holds a large flag with the likeness of marijuana leaves as he stands over a highway in Trenton, N.J., Sunday, April 20, 2014. Dozens of activists and community members gathered in front of the Statehouse to show their support for legalizing marijuana. Sunday’s rally was among many held nationwide to mark the traditional pot holiday of April 20, a day for marijuana activists to defiantly light up to protest their drug of choice being outlawed. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)

People gather on the lawns of Parliament Hill during the Fill the Hill marijuana rally on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Sunday, April 20, 2014. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Justin Tang)

Ed Forchion, center, a pro-marijuana activist known as NJ Weedman, uses a bullhorn to address a gathering in front of the New Jersey Statehouse in Trenton, N.J., Sunday, April 20, 2014. Dozens of activists and community members gathered in front of Statehouse to show their support for legalizing marijuana. Sunday’s rally was among many held nationwide to mark the traditional pot holiday of April 20, a day for marijuana activists to defiantly light up to protest their drug of choice being outlawed. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)

A man in a bear costume smokes a joint at the Fill the Hill marijuana rally on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Sunday, April 20, 2014. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Justin Tang)

Partygoers listen to live music and smoke pot on the second of two days at the annual 4/20 marijuana festival in Denver, Sunday April 20, 2014. The annual event is the first 420 marijuana celebration since retail marijuana stores began selling in January 2014. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)

Partygoers listen to live music and smoke pot on the second of two days at the annual 4/20 marijuana festival in Denver, Sunday April 20, 2014. The annual event is the first 420 marijuana celebration since retail marijuana stores began selling in January 2014. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)

Ed Forchion, a pro-marijuana activist known as NJ Weedman, carries a large cross with huge likeness of a marijuana leaf as he walks in front of the New Jersey Statehouse in Trenton, N.J., Sunday, April 20, 2014. Dozens of activists and community members gathered in front of Statehouse to show their support for legalizing marijuana. Sunday’s rally was among many held nationwide to mark the traditional pot holiday of April 20, a day for marijuana activists to defiantly light up to protest their drug of choice being outlawed. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)

A woman smokes a joint at the Fill the Hill marijuana rally on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Sunday, April 20, 2014. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Justin Tang)

Partygoers listen to live music and smoke pot on the second of two days at the annual 4/20 marijuana festival in Denver, Sunday April 20, 2014. The annual event is the first 420 marijuana celebration since retail marijuana stores began selling in January 2014. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)

Matt Dayhoff

Matt Dayhoff started as a photographer for the Journal Star in 1992 shortly after graduating from the Ohio University School of Visual Communications. In 2009, he moved into the newsroom as an online editor and producer and is now responsible for helping manage and edit much of the editorial content on pjstar.com.